Safe, Sound, and Having a Blast!

Hey everyone! I know it's been quite a while since my last post, and many of you have probably seen the hundreds of pictures I've put up recently and been confused that there hasn't been a blog post to go with them yet! Well, a lot has happened in the last week! With classes going full speed ahead, and new field trips every week, things get pretty busy around here and I haven't had a lot of time to blog. So my goal for this post is to fill you in on some of the highlights from my past week, even if that means not including all the really neat stuff I've learned along the way.

Sunday, September 9: Judean Hills Regional Studies Hike

This picture is looking over the Chesalon Valley, with Mt.
Tsuba directly behind it. There is also another hill faintly
behind Tsuba, and between those two hills is the
deep Upper Sorek Valley.

I am in a class called Regional Studies, which is basically an intense hiking class in which I get to learn about the land and geography and experience it first hand. On this hike, we got to learn about part of the northern border of Judah as stipulated in Joshua 15:9-10 that separates it from Dan and Benjamin. We started on the Kiriat-Jearim ridge route, which is right next to the Moshav where I'm staying. This route was the main way to get from the Judean Hills (where the Moshav is) to Jerusalem, because it traveled on the ridges of the hills and entered Jerusalem from the north, rather than going directly east over and through two extremely steep valleys. Of course with modern technology, there is now a road that goes directly from Kiriat- Jearim to Jerusalem, through those valleys. On our hike, however, we deviated from the KJ route and hiked directly into the first valley, called the Chesalon Valley. We hiked  down into it, where there was a spring called Ein Limon (Lemon Spring) and got to eat our lunches and swim for a little bit. This was the first of 3 springs we would stop at. The springs here are absolutely amazing, and are a huge testimony of the Lord's faithfulness and kindness to His people! Deuteronomy 8:7 says, "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills."The water that had collected from the heavy rain season in winter collects in the rocks, and slowly drips out so that the land has a constant supply of water, even in the dry, rainless summer. Ein Limon is just one example of such a spring, and there is now a little pool built there to collect the water so that tired hikers can take a quick dip before traversing the steep valleys once more!

We went from Ein Limon towards Mt. Tsuba, which is only mentioned once in Scripture, as the home of one of David's 30 mighty men (2 Samuel 23:36). Along the way, we stopped in a beautiful vineyard and Bill talked about the repeated imagery of grapes and vineyards in Scripture. Isaiah 5 talks about Israel as God’s vineyard that He cared for, yet it produced sour grapes. Then Christ used the same imagery in a parable as a metaphor for how Israel was rejecting the Lord’s ownership of them (Luke 20). He also told His disciples that He is the vine and those who abide in Him are the branches (John 15). If we don’t abide in Him, then we can’t do anything! We’re completely dependent on the vine in order to produce fruit. We snacked on some the grapes and contemplated the beauty of such imagery, and how significant it must have been to the Israelites, who were obviously very familiar with grapes and vineyards. After the stop in the vineyards, we moved on to Mt. Tsuba and climbed around on the Crusader ruins that are there today. We also got a beautiful view of many of the hilltops mentioned in Joshua 15:9-10 as the border cities of Judah. 

The view from the top of Mt. Tsuba. Many of these hilltops are the border descriptions for the north side of Judah.

After Mt. Tsuba, we basically just hiked to two more springs. We went to Ein Tsuba at the base of Mt. Tsuba, then hiked parallel to the Upper Sorek Valley (the second deep valley in between KJ and Jerusalem) to Ein Sataf. At the end of the hike, Bill bought us all ice cream as we waited for the bus to take us back. He said it was our tuition money paying for it. ;) (Thanks Mom and Dad!) 
 
Wednesday, September 12: New Testament Walk in Jerusalem
The archaeology professor here at IBEX, Chris, took all of us to Old City Jerusalem to focus on the New Testament events and historical sites. We went to the Temple Mount, which is now completely controlled and utilized by Muslims, the excavation site of a street that ran along the western wall of the temple mount in the time of Christ, the stairs at the southern entrance of the temple mount, the excavation site of the Herodian quarter where the priests lived during the time of Christ, and the Garden Tomb, which is the other suggested place for where Christ was crucified and buried.

The Temple Mount was crazy. As everyone probably knows, this is where the Muslim chapel, The Dome of the Rock, is located, which is built on the spot where Muhammad ascended into heaven. However, what most people don't realize is that the Dome of the Rock is not the most important building up there. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the 3rd holiest site in Islam, and is located on the south eastern corner of the Temple Mount. We stood in line to go on the Mount for at least an hour, but only got to be up there for about 20 minutes, because there are very limited times that tourists are allowed up there. It was really neat to be up there and think about the fact that on that very spot was where Solomon built the temple. In fact, since the exact location of the temple is not known, and more importantly since the location of the Holy of Holies where God's presence dwelled is not known, Jews are forbidden to even go up on the Temple Mount. We saw a Rabbinic edict posted outside the entrance.

The next few stops all had to do with the Temple Mount, and were actually focused on the life of Christ. We got to go to an excavation site of a street that ran right along the western wall of the Temple Mount. The stones there today are at the exact same level that there were when Christ lived and walked there, but the stones have been since replaced. Then we also ate lunch on the southern side of the temple mount, and most of the stairs leading up to it are actually the original stones placed there, and were therefore the very steps Jesus walked on to enter the Temple or teach near the entrance! So cool! This southern entrance was probably where Christ did a lot of teaching. It was the entrance used by those who had to travel to Jerusalem, so it was the perfect spot for Him to teach. This entrance is the most likely place for where Jesus gave his address in Matthew 23 as He chastised the Pharisees and others for their hypocrisy. Due to His location, He was probably using his surroundings to make examples and metaphors to illustrate his points. If He was standing on those stairs, the Temple would be right behind him, and the Kidron Valley, which had many graves and burial sites, would be directly east of Him. In His address He used metaphors and examples involving the gold of the temple, the altar, tithing, and the image of "white washed tombs." All of these examples would be obvious and natural inclusions in His address if they were right around Him as He stood at the very entrance where we ate our sack lunches that day. How amazing is that?!

This is the street running along the wall of the Temple
Mount. There is an upperstreet (where the remains of
stairs are) and a lower street (that I'm standing on) that
would be lined with shops. 

I'm standing on the stairs at the Southern entrance,
looking at the Mt. of Olives and Kidron Valley.

The courtyard in the Herodian Quarter

We also went to the Jewish quarter where there was a couple excavation sites in the Royal District, also known as the Herodian Quarter, where the wealthy families lived, including the priests and High Priest. Seeing this area gave us a bit of a picture of what the house of Annas and Caiaphas could have looked like, where Jesus was taken and tried before He was crucified. This might not have been the actual house, but gives us an idea of what it could have looked like. There was a courtyard outside the houses as well, which would be much like the one where Peter stood with the servants and denied Christ 3 times. 

Me at the suggested tomb
of Christ.

The last stop was the Garden Tomb, also known as Gordon's Calvary. Charles Gordon was a British scholar who believed this location to be the site of the death and burial of Christ because it literally resembled a skull (since Matthew, Mark and John all call the place “Golgotha,” which means “place of a skull”). For several reasons (described in my first post about Jerusalem) we don't believe this is the true site, but that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is. However, it was a beautiful place to visit, and the tour guide was super sweet! She was English, and volunteered at the Garden Tomb giving tours and such, and she genuinely believes that this is the site where Christ was crucified and buried. But she ended her presentation in the best way possible. She said that at the end of the day, it doesn't matter where Jesus was buried, because He's not there anymore. We worship a living Savior! One who is not bound by the grave, but one who has conquered death and sin so that we can live and have hope in Him! Hallelujah! Amen! Praise God that our Savior lives, and that He has made it possible for us to live forever through Him! 

Friday, September 14: Beach Day!
On Friday, we headed to the coast! We went to the modern city of Jaffa, which was Joppa both in the Old Testament and the New Testament times. This site just proclaims the importance of the gospel through it's history! Jonah fled to Joppa before sailing to Tarshish as he was deliberately disobeying God's command to go to Nineveh and pronounce His judgment. Then in Acts 10, Peter was staying with a man named Simon in Joppa near the sea when the Lord gave him a vision, revealing to him that the message of Christ needed to be proclaimed to the Gentiles too. So just as in the story of Jonah and the Ninevites when God showed mercy to a Gentile nation, so also does God continue to show mercy to Gentiles around the world by allowing them to come to the saving knowledge and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ! There are so many other connections between Jonah and Peter too! Peter, according to Matthew 16:16 was a descendant of Jonah! Anyways, the city of Joppa (now Jaffa) is right on the Mediterranean Sea. We walked all around Old Joppa, and probably walked somewhere near where Peter was staying at Simon's house. So cool! 

Then we hung out at the beach. You guys... I swam in the MEDITERRANEAN SEA!!! So cool! It was absolutely beautiful. We were there all afternoon until well after sunset. The water was about 85 degrees so it was easy to just swim around for hours. Oh my goodness it was absolutely incredible! It was definitely one of my favorite days so far. I love the beach, and this was far better than any beach day I've had at the Pacific! The weather was warm, and so was the water! We ended the day by having a time of worship and a little devotional on the beach right after sunset. It was an absolutely beautiful time. 

Psalm 95:5

The sea is His, for it was He who made it,

And His hands formed the dry land. 

There's one last note I want to make real quick, and it's pretty important. I want everyone to know that I feel completely and entirely safe here. Yes, the day that we went to the Mediterranean Sea there was a riot in Old City Jerusalem, and I can see how that can be exceptionally concerning for people back home. But keep in mind, that the revolt was on Friday, which is the Muslim day of prayer. We will never go to the city on a friday, because if the Muslims are going to stir up trouble, it will usually be on a friday after they've had their morning prayers. But to be cautious, we didn't go into the City for church the following day as we had planned to do. 

I know crazy things are happening in the world. I've been reading the news about the violence and the riots happening around us, as well as the greater potential threats out there too. My professors are well aware of the situation going on as well, and they assure us that they take our safety very seriously. I trust them and their judgment entirely. Bill has lived through wars in this country and is very in tune with what is happening in the Middle East. He sent me a really helpful e-mail about how he's thinking through the world situation and how he would handle the situation if for some reason we needed to evacuate. If you want me to send you that e-mail, I will, because I think it's very reassuring. 

I just wanted to make a quick note to let you know that I am safe, I feel very safe, I trust my professors, and above all, I trust the Lord. If you want to talk to me further about these things, please don't hesitate to! 

Thank you all for reading! I'm missing home a lot, but am feeling so blessed to be here, and it's actually really fun for me to take this time to reflect on it too. 

Tomorrow I'm going to Benjamin! I get to see Jericho, among many other exciting things! Hopefully there'll be a blog about it soon ;) haha ok ... my computer is going to die in 18 minutes and it's 11:00 pm so I'd better go. Hope there's no spelling or grammar errors because I don't have time to check! haha  Goodnight everyone!!